Captaining on Keuka

"Get action. Seize the moment. Man was never intended to become an oyster."
--Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. president

Today we all escaped the heat and headed to Lake Keuka to get out on the water for the day. Keuka is the smallest of the five Finger Lakes and much less deep than Seneca, which makes it ideal for boating, swimming and all kinds of water sports. The lake is lined with beautiful homes (called cottages), and many people living and working in Corning keep a summer cottage on the lake for weekends and summer holidays. Keuka, like the other Finger Lakes, is home to a thriving lake community during the summers, and according to many of the local residents, being out on the water from dawn 'til dusk is pretty much the norm.

My sister, Gwynn, volunteered to be our skipper today and took to the task with great enthusiasm. As kids, we never spent much time on boats, and for the most part Gwynn is not fond of being out on the water. But today, not deterred in the least, she got behind the wheel of our rented pontoon boat, and off we went, music blaring, coolers, snacks and a map at the ready! And as we picked up speed, we left the heat behind on the shore and raced into the wind, determined to cruise the lake from one end to the other!

Before we took off on our ride, the kids spent an hour or so on a couple of jet-skis and felt they had pretty much mastered the art of speed on the water. Naturally, they urged us on, faster and faster, in our luxury cruiser, until my sister pretty much had the pedal to the metal. My Dad, taking his role as honorary captain seriously, was no better - perched in the shady back seat, wind blowing through his hair, sandwich in hand, his eyes combed the horizon, keeping a watchful eye out for the Lake Patrol!

We stopped about half way up the lake and went swimming, a hilarious romp in the water that had us all gasping for air through the laughter. The water was the perfect solution for beating the heat, and it wasn't until the boat eventually started drifting dangerously toward shore, threatening to take our honorary captain and his sandwich up onto a nearby dock, that we finally made ourselves get out, dripping and content, and back behind the wheel!

On the way back down the lake, we stopped at a local watering hole called The Switzerland Inn (called "The Switz" by locals) for some well-deserved mid-afternoon snacks and refreshments. I've always loved the idea of pulling up to a place in your boat, stepping off, enjoying some time on land, then getting back on the water to head home. Somehow it just seems so much more satisfying than the usual car experience, and today was no disappointment. After leaving the Switz, I was pretty sure this was a lifestyle I could get used to!

All around it was a great day on the water, and we were all happily exhausted (and sunburned) by the end of it. Gwynn and I are determined to rent a couple of jet-skis for ourselves the next time we go - maybe as much to prove to the kids that we still have it in us as for the insane amount of fun they are. It was a day that begs for more - more fun, more laughing, more coolness, more swimming, more visits at the local hang-outs, more speed, more vistas, more music, more sandwiches, more snacks, more time spent with family (and friends who really should be family) and many more memories made. And for my sister, another visit to the lake means more time behind the wheel, captaining on Keuka!